RMC Extra Board

Welcome to Craftsman Extra Board! This section is updated periodically with short features contributed by our readers, as well as some recent favorites straight from the pages of Railroad Model Craftsman. Check back as we continue to add new articles!

Let’s Run Trains: James EuDaly’s Chesapeake & Ohio

August 22, 2022

Let’s Run Trains: James EuDaly’s Chesapeake & Ohio

It’s 1949 on James EuDaly’s O scale Chesapeake & Ohio centered around Hinton, W.Va., hosting a busy schedule of freight and passenger trains, as well as turning and servicing locomotives for their next run.

Capturing the Trackside Perspective

August 22, 2022

Capturing the Trackside Perspective

Lance Mindheim shares simple ideas and techniques to capture the excitement of being trackside on your model railroad.

Richard Rands’ On30 Mineral & Southfork Railway

July 25, 2022

Richard Rands’ On30 Mineral & Southfork Railway

This freelanced O scale narrow gauge layout is inspired by the mining history of Alaska, and will be featured as part of the home layout tours during the 2022 NMRA National Convention in St. Louis.

DCC Sound Upgrades for Brass Steam

July 25, 2022

DCC Sound Upgrades for Brass Steam

How to upgrade old imported brass steam locomotive models with improved DCC sound and keep-alive circuits.

BAPM 2022: The San Francisco Bay Area’s Prototype Modelers Meet

July 11, 2022

BAPM 2022: The San Francisco Bay Area’s Prototype Modelers Meet

Modelers from across the west came to Richmond, Calif., in June for the 17th Annual Bay Area Prototype Modelers Meet.

Steve Goaring’s Illinois Terminal O’Fallon Branch

June 20, 2022

Steve Goaring’s Illinois Terminal O’Fallon Branch

Set in the summer of 1961, Steve Goaring’s HO scale model railroad hosts relaxed operations on the Illinois Terminal O’Fallon Branch

Corrugated Steel from Tin Foil

June 20, 2022

Corrugated Steel from Tin Foil

It’s easy to make your own corrugated steel panels from embossed tin foil to enhance the look of a standard Walthers structure kit.

Joe Visintine’s East Bluff Terminal

May 17, 2022

Joe Visintine’s East Bluff Terminal

Joe Visintine’s HO scale East Bluff Terminal model railroad is based on the urban switching districts around St. Louis.

Scratchbuild a City Block on a Slope

May 17, 2022

Scratchbuild a City Block on a Slope

This commerical block in the author’s HO scale Patapsco Falls is inspired by the architecture of Baltimore and the surrounding cities.

When Coal Was King: Louisville & Nashville

April 21, 2022

When Coal Was King: Louisville & Nashville

Inspired by coal-hauling operations in Eastern Kentucky, Jeff Keubler’s HO scale Louisville & Nashville layout is part of the 2022 St. Louis NMRA convention tour.